Torun (Poland) (AFP)

Kevin Mayer leading the heptathlon, Pierre-Ambroise Bosse in the 800m final: the two Frenchmen fulfilled their contract on Saturday at the European Indoor Athletics Championships before the outcome scheduled for Sunday.

To find Mayer in the first place is not strictly speaking a surprise.

Great favorite of this Euro, the world record holder in the decathlon had claimed to be in great shape before the start of the competition.

For the moment, the facts prove him right since he totals 3571 points after four tests.

After a 60m run in 6 sec 86, a tiny hundredth off his personal best, Mayer hit 7.47m in the long jump before smashing his best weight mark (16.32m) and jumping at 2, 04 m at height.

Enough to approach the end of the heptathlon (60 m hurdles, pole vault and 1000 m) in a strong position.

The Frenchman feels so at his ease that he has even considered tackling Ashton Eaton's world record (6645 points).

"This morning I put a lot of pressure on myself and I had a big disappointment in the 60m because I knew that for the record it was dead, he said. But I ended up with this 3rd test at weight and it's a total happiness. "

Mayer, who had stopped before the first obstacle in the 60m hurdles at the French Indoor Championships in Miramas, does not yet want to claim victory too soon.

"I'm not going to put the medal around my neck until I have it. There is still a lot of work," he said.

The memory of his last two missed championships (Euro-2018 and World-2019) is so vivid that he prefers not to go too far but it would now take a huge disaster to prevent him from obtaining a 2nd European title indoors after that of Belgrade in 2017.

- Bump in beefy -

For Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, the lights are also green for the moment.

The 2017 world champion in the 800m, who has come a long way after three and a half years of sawtooth results, managed his semifinal strong to win in 1 min 47 sec 86 and seems to be on the way recovery.

"My foot still hurts but it is not yet a tear as I imagined it so I can continue the adventure without problem and without having to worry, he explained. It was enough. nice for me today. I suffered but I controlled because unlike yesterday I didn't get attacked too much. There was less traffic and more riders with experience , foxes waiting for the last moment. "

In the finals, the Ukrainian Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk created a small sensation by dominating the German world champion Malaika Mihambo lengthwise to clinch the first major title of her career.

Bekh-Romanchuk made the difference on the last try (6.92 m) by offering himself the best world performance of the year, Mihambo having to settle for the silver (6.88 m).

Over 60 m, it was the Italian of Texan origin, Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who won in 6 sec 47, the fastest time of 2021.

© 2021 AFP